


worry

by enbyamaguchi



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Anyways, i just wanted to get out some content man, refuge fic (kinda), sorry for this, um um ummm, yes its canon era yes i wrote enby albert i can do what i want leave me ALONE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23975902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enbyamaguchi/pseuds/enbyamaguchi
Summary: albert thinks about race.
Relationships: Albert DaSilva/Racetrack Higgins
Comments: 12
Kudos: 17





	worry

**Author's Note:**

> hi! just a fair warning this will have angst and there won't be a definitive happy ending, but it isn't really a sad ending either? it's pretty open ended so you can interpret it however you want!
> 
> WARNINGS! - blood, mentions of death

when albert wasn’t helping race carry out his mischievous antics, they were watching the boy, well… do his thing. sometimes he’d hide someone’s shoes in an obscure place around the lodging house, sometimes he’d replace the soap they used with pink dye (that’s right, race saved up enough to be able to  _ buy fabric dye _ for his stupid pranks) after he washed his clothes so that everyone else would be wearing pink shirts and pants, sometimes he’d steal just  _ one _ of specs’ socks because he knew they’d go crazy trying to find it.

and albert watched the boy do it all with a fond, lovestruck smile on their face. 

they miss it.

it’s been four months since race was taken to the refuge for the fifth time in his life. his fifth time in  _ eighteen _ years. normally albert wouldn’t worry too much (although they’d still worry, obviously, because race is their… race is everything to them), but this is the longest race has stayed locked away there… every other time he’d either manage to escape or he had a short sentence because he did something small that wasn’t deserving of a longer time in that prison. 

more than one person has been down there in an attempt to see race, albert included, but every time they try to call for the boy they’re met with… nothing. no response, no physical gesture, not even a breath. 

how is albert not supposed to assume the worst?

for the last four months they haven’t been able to sleep, either because they have terrible nightmares every time they manage to doze off or because they stay up all night crying, body quivering with silent sobs as they think about what could have happened to raceーno, that makes it sound like he- like heー every time they think about what could be  _ happening _ to race. 

the other boys have been trying to help, really. either by offering to talk or suggesting a distraction or attempting to  _ be _ the distraction. albert’s sure any of those things would help… if they let them. but the thing is, this is so  _ different _ than any other time albert has been worried about race before. they’ve never had to worry about the possibility that race could… could be… 

albert shuts their eyes tightly, shaking their head aggressively as if that will physically knock the thought out of their head. race  _ can’t _ be, he can’t be… right? he wouldn’t give up that easily! no, it must just be that it’s taking him a longer time to come up with an escape plan. that  _ has _ to be it, it has to beー

“al?”

the soft voice brings albert out and away from the terrors of their mind, of their heart. they look up, only realising they’ve been crying when they feel one final tear slide down their cheek. elmer is standing there, looking small, worried, almost  _ afraid _ , and he’s clutching a piece of paper in his hands.

“what is it, elm?” albert asks. and their voice is so raspy, so  _ tired _ sounding, like they haven’t said a word in weeks.

elmer passes the crumpled, stained piece of paper to them. “it’s a letter from- it’s a letter from race.”

albert looks down at the paper, and can’t stop the gasp, can’t stop the strangled sob that escapes their throat.

the stain on the paper… it’s a bloodstain. 

**Author's Note:**

> part 2 (perhaps)? :)
> 
> also, thank you for reading!!! kudos and comments are very very very appreciated!! have a lovely day mwah


End file.
